Author: Jaskaran Singh Dhillon, University of Queensland/Ochsner Clinical School MD Program, Year 4
Think of the last photo you took. Was it on your phone, or a professional camera? And how did you feel after you took that photo? Per some sources, 1.8 trillion photos are taken every year, equating to about 5 billion photos per day, with the majority of these taken on a smartphone rather than a professional camera.1 While cameras were once technically complicated, knowing concepts like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO was necessary to take photos, the development of smartphone cameras has made photography accessible to all. The artistic legacy of photography continues to progress. However, it does so in the context of a world where the burden of mental health stressors and illness is significant. Many creative pursuits and hobbies, such as drawing, painting, or music, have shown to have significant benefits for improving mental health. Can taking photos also promote mental wellbeing, or even help patients with psychiatric symptoms as a therapeutic modality?
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A brief history of therapeutic photography
As early as the mid-1800s, Victorian era doctor Hugh Welch Diamond turned a camera towards his psychiatric asylum patients as a diagnostic and record keeping tool. More radically, he suggested using photographs as a form of therapy; portrait photographs represented a self that patients could attempt to reconcile with.2 While not specifically focused on photography, Adrian Hill first formally conceptualized the term “art therapy” in 1942, having served as a war artist during World War 1 and using art as therapy during his own recovery from tuberculosis in 1938.3 In some cases, photography has reached beyond being a therapy, becoming a mechanism for self-realization and self-actualization. For instance, prolific landscape photographer Ansel Adams saw the medium as a tool to realize the “deeper reality of things”, profoundly conveying “the spiritual in art”.4 Adams believed that “all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit”; for him, photography was the means to build this confidence.5 Iconic street photographer Fan Ho, with his dramatic compositions of light and shadow, initially started taking pictures to relieve his headaches; with his photographs, he described his need to express “what [he felt] at the time and what [was] in [his] heart […] something along the lines of longing”.6
In the modern day, photographers continue to use photography as a means of therapy. Gabriel Isak puts forward minimalist and surreal landscapes with anonymous subjects and cold colors, exploring his experiences with depression.7 Christian Hopkins’ images focus on the vulnerability of Major Depressive Disorder, including themes of loneliness and lethargy.8 And the surreal, yet hyperrealist works of John William Keedy portray his struggles with his diagnosis of anxiety disorder, as he challenges the stigma of mental illness.9
Photography for anxiety, depression, and other conditions
Whether cameras or photographs are used as therapeutic tools, a variety of clinical evidence points to the efficacy of photography in helping treat mental health conditions or improving mental wellness.
In a study involving 10 dementia caregivers being given cameras to document what caregiving meant to them, significant decreases in caregiver burden and depressive symptoms were seen.10 A study of 14 outpatients with chronic schizophrenic or psychotic disorder found significant reductions in levels of depression and general symptoms as well as significant improvement in cognitive abilities and functionality, when photo therapy was utilized.11 When told to take four pictures every week over the course of four weeks about what made them happy, a study of college students found significant improvements in Beck’s Depression Inventory and Beck’s Anxiety Inventory.12 Taking pictures may allow patients with psychotic disorders to overcome verbal barriers in order to communicate their emotions.13
Beyond exposure to photography itself, even photography related experiences may assist in improving clinical symptoms. In children with diplegic cerebral palsy, basic photography training was found to significantly increase health-related-quality-of-life, life satisfaction, and self-esteem compared to a control group.14 In another study, featuring a unique “Positive Photo Appreciation” program combined with positive psychotherapy, featuring appreciation and collage production sessions in addition to photography sessions, significant improvements were noted in geriatric patients in regard to depression and psychological distress scales, even when tracked with 3 month follow-up; furthermore, participants found the photography activities to be fun and voluntarily organized similar activities after the study.15 When enrolled in a 6 week workshop teaching basics of photography, veterans receiving outpatient mental health treatment created a 6 image portfolio expressing the theme of their personal recovery; Likert scale questionnaires scores significantly increased, indicating that photography may improve “personal reflection and organization of thinking”, in addition to promoting “recovery discussions, communication, social support, and sense of purpose”.16
A New Frame of Mind
The art and aesthetics of photography inspire both those taking the photographs and those viewing them. The near-ubiquitous nature of smartphones means that many, if not all, carry professional photography capability in their pocket, simplified to tapping a virtual shutter button. Perhaps beyond being an accessible tool for art, photography can help to promote mental wellness and, in addition to other pharmacological and/or non-pharmacological treatments, assist with easing symptomatic burden for patients with psychiatric illness.Â
Works Cited
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8. Noorata P. Young Photographer Takes Surreal Self-Portraits to Cope with Depression. My Modern Met. 2024. https://mymodernmet.com/christian-hopkins-photography/
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10. Wharton W, Epps F, Kovaleva M, et al. Photojournalism-Based Intervention Reduces Caregiver Burden and Depression in Alzheimer’s Disease Family Caregivers. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2019;37(3):214-224. doi:10.1177/0898010118801636
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12. Tourigny L, Naydenova IN. Using Therapeutic Photography Techniques to Increase the Wellbeing of College Students. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 2020;3(1)
13. Moretti V, Brunetti C, Candaten A, et al. Take a picture! The role of visual methods in understanding psychiatric patient’s everyday life. Acta Biomed. Jul 29 2021;92(S2):e2021028. doi:10.23750/abm.v92iS2.11945
14. Alkan H, Topuz O, İnce B, Kapıkıran Ş. The Effects of Basic Photography Education on Quality of Life, Self-Esteem, Life Satisfaction and Moods in Children with Diplegic Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Study. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics. 2021/12/01 2021;42(1):1-11. doi:10.1080/01942638.2021.1923613
15. Ishihara M, Saito T, Sakurai T, Arai H. Sustained mood improvement by the positive photo appreciation program in older adults. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. Jun 2021;36(6):970-971. doi:10.1002/gps.5493
16. Quaglietti S. Using Photography to Explore Recovery Themes With Veterans. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health. 2018/04/03 2018;13(2):220-230. doi:10.1080/15401383.2018.1425174